Effective communication within the BPQ network requires understanding the best practices for message addressing and forwarding. This page offers insights into the proper ways to address bulletins and configure forwarding for optimal performance and compatibility.

When sending a bulletin, the addressing format plays a crucial role in ensuring it reaches the intended recipients across the network. Use the following format:

topic@area

Please note that bulletins (bulls) are limited to six characters on either side of the @ symbol and there are no periods (.) used. For example, BPQ@WW is a valid address but weather@USA is not because “weather” has seven characters. Likewise, wx@u.s.a is not valid because it contains periods, but wx@usa is.

Full Hierarchical Addressing:

Bulletins can also use a full hierarchical address, allowing you to address a bulletin to as small an area as a specific BBS. Here are some examples of valid bulletin addresses:

• all@…
• sysop@#stx.tx.usa.noam
• emcomm@…

All are valid bulletin addresses. However, unless the receiving BBS software has provisions for this, the bulletin might not be handled and could be discarded. Not all systems are BPQ compatible.

Examples:

- To address a bulletin to all users worldwide: `all@ww` - To send a message specifically to sysops in the USA: `sysop@usa`

This format helps in directing your messages efficiently, whether they're aimed at a broad audience or targeted groups within the amateur radio community.

In the realm of packet messaging, various topics are commonly used to categorize and direct messages appropriately. Here are 25 notable topics you might encounter or use:

1. EQUAKE@WW - Earthquakes worldwide.
2. DX@WW - DX operations and news worldwide.
3. ALERT@WW - Storm and weather alerts worldwide.
4. LINUX@WW - Linux news and updates worldwide.
5. SBOPKG@WW - SlackBuilds changelogs worldwide.
6. NEWS@WW - General news worldwide.
7. TECH@WW - Technology news and tips worldwide.
8. BPQ@WW - Discussions and queries related to BPQ software worldwide.
9. FBB@WW - Discussions related to FBB software worldwide.
10. HUMOR@WW - Humorous content worldwide.
11. SOLAR@WW - Solar and geomagnetic activity reports worldwide.
12. DXNEWS@WW - DX news and updates worldwide.
13. PKTNET@USA - Packet networking in the USA.
14. SYSOP@USA - System operator announcements for the USA.
15. WX@USA - Weather forecasts for the USA.
16. TODAY@WW - “Today in History” worldwide.
17. KEP@ARL - Keplerian data from ARRL.
18. PROP@ARL - Propagation reports from ARRL.
19. PACTOR@WW - Discussions related to PACTOR mode worldwide.
20. SAT@AMSAT - Satellite operations and news from AMSAT.
21. SWL@WW - Shortwave listening worldwide.
22. DIGATV@WW - Digital amateur television discussions worldwide.
23. ARES@ARRL - ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) reports from ARRL.
24. JNOS@WW - Discussions related to JNOS software worldwide.
25. IBM@WW - Discussions and tips related to IBM technology worldwide.

This list is not exhaustive but provides a good overview of the variety of topics you can explore or specify when sending messages via packet radio systems.